“I was only 6-years-old when my father died of a heart attack,” remembers Tony, now 35. “Being so young, I couldn’t comprehend the idea of never seeing my dad again. I was an emotional basket case, and those feelings only got worse around the holidays—especially Father’s Day.”

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“My father died a few weeks ago as a result of a tragic accident,” shares Meagan. “He was 55 years old and left behind my mom and my brother and I. When we were at my mother’s house after all of this happened, I remember her saying to herself, ‘What do we do about Father’s Day?’ Ever since I heard her say that, I’ve been wondering the same thing…what do we do?”

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“When my husband died, nothing prepared my six children, or me, for the loss,” Says Marie. “Through a haze of grief I heard my children plead with me, ‘Stop crying, mama.’ But I couldn’t stop the tears. And my pain was made worse by seeing them suffer. I felt so inept as a mother. I wanted them to be children and not be faced with such worries and fears and pain. I wanted us to be a family again. Today we talk about my husband often. We laugh at inside jokes. We share memories…”

Go ahead and celebrate Father’s Day like you normally would. Your father/husband would want you to celebrate his life, not constantly mourn his death.

Sit together and talk about the good times you all shared with him—the times you laughed, the stories he told, the special things you did together…

Father’s Day is about fathers and what they do for their children and families. It’s a time to honor men that are fathers.

He would want you all to have happiness. A special day like this is really all about family and being together, spending the special day together and just celebrating and enjoying life.

You could do something special; maybe plant a tree in his memory…

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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